MPS criticise disbanding Uganda Registration Services Bureau

KAMPALA- Members of Parliament (MPs) on the legal and parliamentary affairs committee have opposed the disbandment of Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) saying the move will affect service delivery that had improved.

While meeting the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and the minister of justice and constitutional affairs Kahinda Otafiire, legislators tasked Otafiire to justify the decision saying URSB was performing well and returning it to the mainstream public service would hinder service delivery.

Ndorwa East MP, Wilfred Nuwagaba, said: "URSB has done a commendable job in popularising registration of business countrywide and in generation of government revenue. It has cut down on red tape and bureaucracy."

He added that taking  URSB back to the ministry as it was then is worrying as the same bureaucracy and inefficiency in ordinary civil service will affect it and its achievements.

Bufumbira South MP,  Sam Bitangaro was upset with the cabinet's decision. "I'm disappointed because I did consultancy in the establishment of URSB.

If there was anything wrong with the authorities and agencies government would have worked to fix problems in the agency if any instead of disbanding it."If you have a car, and a carburetor gets spoilt, do you throw away the car or you fix the carburetor? So I'm not convinced.

Recently, government passed a decision to merge authorities and agencies to reorganise government and realign their functions

Give the cabinet decision a chance-Otafiire

Otafiire said the agencies are going back to the ministry as departments and will be self-accounting; only cutting out the coast of the board.

"Government should be given  opportunity. Policy is not like a geographical position that it is immovable. You cannot move Rwenzori from where it is but you can change a policy." He said adding that if it does not work future leaders will change it.

People power created new districts

On creation of new districts, Otafiire said it was the legislators who asked for them."When I was minister of local government I refused. Parliament insisted and even petitioned the president to remove me.

I was removed though he didn't want to remove me." Otafiire said adding that when people power demands an elected president had to submit.